It came to light in the media that Wasilla AK, (population 7,000) was able to obtain $27 million in earmarks while Sarah Palin was mayor from 1996 to 2002. How was she able to do it? Did they have a CDC with a dynamic Executive Director financed by $125,000 of taxpayer money? Of course not, they hired a Washington lobbyist to push for funding at a cost of . . . . . . $35,000 a year. They got the Federal Government to pay for their stadium as well as an airport. Perhaps we are going about this the wrong way.